Fair parade will be on Tuesday night for 2010
By Sara RamakerStaff Writer
Though it will follow the same route, the Allegan County Fair parade is moving—to a different day, that is.
Instead of the first Saturday of the fair, the parade will be Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Despite previously approving the Saturday date, Allegan City Council voted unanimously to approve the new date at its July 12 meeting.
City manager Rob Hillard said the city received a letter asking for the change last week.
“We’ll learn along the way, but we think it is doable,” Hillard said.
Council member Tom Clark asked about the change’s impact on downtown merchants, parking and the Regent Theatre schedule.
Hillard said staging was not expected to begin until after 5 p.m. when the majority of the parking lots begin to empty.
Downtown coordinator Vicki Knuckles said the city-owned Regent Theatre showtime would most likely be delayed until after the parade.
Fair manager Saree Miller said the last time the parade was on a weekday was in 1995.
“When we went to Saturdays, no one was happy,” she said. “We’re trying it on Tuesday night back like it used to be years ago.”
Miller said all marching bands in the parade will be asked to perform at the grandstand in addition to the songs they will play during the parade.
She said the fair board wanted to create more of a grandstand attraction with the parade to allow for more affordable forms of entertainment in the poor economy.
“We are doing everything we can this year to make (the fair) affordable to everyone,” she said,
The public is invited to watch the parade from the grandstand after paying regular fair admission, she said.
The parade will start downtown at 6:30 p.m. and reach the grandstand at 7 p.m.
Applications to participate in the parade are due Aug. 15.
For more information or an application, visit www.allegancountyfair.net or call (269) 673-6501.